As a statutory corporation, the respective duties and responsibilities of the Board and senior executives are substantially set out in the Electricity Corporations Act 2005 ("the Act"). Further details about the roles of the Board, senior executives and management are provided below.
Board charter
Subject to the provisions of the Act, the Board has overall responsibility for performing the functions, determining the policies and controlling the affairs of Western Power. The Board’s primary role is to set Western Power’s strategic direction and to oversee its management and commercial activities.
The roles, responsibilities, powers, duties and functions of the Board are formalised in the Board charter.
Management of Western Power operations is delegated to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who is responsible for implementing the strategic objectives and operating within the risk appetite set by the Board and for all other aspects of the day-to-day running of Western Power. The CEO is also responsible for providing the Board with adequate information to enable the Board to discharge its responsibilities. The CEO’s responsibilities are set out in the Board charter. The Board has also delegated a number of responsibilities to its committees.
Board committees
The Board has established two standing committees to assist in the discharge of its responsibilities:
Western Power’s General Counsel is the Company Secretary of Western Power and is responsible for providing secretariat services to the Board and its committees. Minutes of all committee meetings are provided to the Board and the proceedings of each meeting are reported by the respective committee chair at the next Board meeting. A director may attend committee meetings even if he or she is not a member of the committee.
Details of the number of committee meetings held during the financial year and members’ attendance at those meetings are available in Western Power’s Annual Report.
Performance evaluation
The performance of the Board as a whole, individual directors and each of its committees is evaluated on a regular basis. The GC establishes the evaluation process for the Board and individual directors, including whether or not the performance evaluation should be conducted by an external facilitator.
The GC supports the Board Chair in the process for reviewing the performance of the CEO. The CEO’s performance is judged against the approved corporate strategic plan and corporate and personal key performance indicators established for the CEO. A similar process is adopted in the case of other senior executives.